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By: Robert Janis
Tread Lightly! Helps OHV Community Gain
Favorable Reputation
Tread Lightly! helped fund the creation
of several ATV crossings in Colorado. |
The groups and associations involved with
off-highway vehicle recreation complain that the
biggest obstacle they have to overcome is
gaining more access to land on which OHVers can
ride. It has become a problem because some in
the OHV community ride on trails without any
regard for them or the surrounding lands. They
often trash trails and adjacent land, and such
action builds up support for groups that are
opponents to OHV riding.
One group whose whole existence is to build a
favorable reputation for OHV riders is Tread
Lightly!
The group was founded in 1985 by the U.S. Forest
Service. The purpose was to “. . . help address
the rising number of off-highway vehicles on
public land,” explained Lori McCullough,
Executive Director of Tread Lightly! She added
that in 1990 Tread Lightly! transferred to a
private sector, non-profit organization.
The mission of Tread Lightly! is to proactively
protect recreation access and opportunities in
the outdoors through education and stewardship
initiatives. “Tread Lightly! is considered to be
the signature outdoor ethics messenger for
motorized recreation,” said McCullough.
The group is a-political and does not get
involved in the political side of issues.
“Instead, the group focuses on education,
communications, and restoration--which are
proven tools to help prevent closures,” said
McCullough.
Although the group does not get involved in
politics, it does have a Memorandums of
Understanding (MOUs) with most of the public
land management agencies including the U.S.
Forest Service, Bureau of Land management,
National Park Service and the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers. “This means that they agree to
promote our outdoor ethics message as much as
possible,” said McCullough. “Also, we are able
to work with them to find areas in need of
repair, restoration or education, and find
funding from donors to help keep these areas
open. Tread Lightly! also works hand-in-hand
with dozens of city and state governments across
the country, especially in regards to
education.”
Lori McCullough is Tread Lightly!'s
executive director and has been with the
nonprofit for 17 years. |
According to McCullough, Tread Lightly! believes
OHV recreation is at a critical crossroad. “With
thousands of miles of trails in danger of
closure, two issues that Tread Lightly! is
immediately addressing are: 1) damage caused by
irresponsible or uneducated riders and 2) land
managers’ lack of financial resources to keep
recreation areas open.
“Tread Lightly! is working to use educational
materials, trained volunteers, and print,
television, web and radio public awareness
campaigns to help educate ATV riders on the best
ways and reasons to minimize impact of the
outdoors,” continued McCullough. “This not only
prevents damage, but also helps improve the
image of off-roading to the general public. We
are even working in new arenas like Facebook,
Myspace, and YouTube.”
Courses and Programs
Tread Lightly! has a number of courses and
programs to move forward its agenda. They are:
- Tread Lightly 101
- Tread Trainer
- Restoration for Recreation
“Tread Lightly 101” is an online awareness
course that is designed to teach how to minimize
one’s impact on the outdoors. The course
includes flash technology, audio voiceovers,
knowledge checks, and interactive scenarios to
teach the Tread Lightly! principles as well as
show how to apply them in real-world situations.
Each person who completes the course is
automatically entered to win such gear as a
Coleman event tent, a Coleman road trip party
grill, a Tread Lightly! six-pack cooler, and a
Tread Lightly! decal. The course can be taken
online at the Tread Lightly website (www.treadlightly.org).
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